Every year, over 300,000 people immigrate to Canada, and approximately Every year, 250,000 people are accepted as citizens. It is an appealing potential home for many people looking for a change because it is a safe and friendly destination that provides lavish opportunities and advancement for people from all walks of life.
If you are considering applying for permanent residency in Canada, the ECA is the first step (or even a student visa). The evaluation includes a review of your degree, university, accreditation, and other aspects of your education. This article discusses the various valuation bodies, the process, and how to save money when applying for an assessment.
What is an ECA Report?
A Canadian immigration officer will conduct an Educational Credential Assessment to double-check your foreign education credentials. This could be a high school diploma, a college diploma, or even a course certificate.
The ECA report verifies your academic credentials and converts them to Canadian equivalents. In Canada, for example, a one-year Masters Course is simply considered an additional certification program.
Your ECA report does not include information such as your post-school attendance or any extra-curricular contributions. Assume you are currently enrolled in a course that will be completed before you move to Canada. In that case, you may be able to include it in your ECA report as well.
Do You Require an ECA Report?
You do not need an ECA report if you have completed any of your education in Canada. However, if you are immigrating to Canada and intend to work, you must obtain an ECA Report.
While you only need to have your highest level of education assessed (for example, if your highest level of education is an undergraduate program), many people choose to have all post-secondary education assessed.
People who have all of their post-secondary education evaluated receive the most education points when their Masters is not determined to be the exact equivalent in Canada. In these cases, having all post-secondary education evaluated would make the individual’s educational equivalent to having a Bachelors and Certification Program.
If your spouse intends to accompany you to Canada and continue working, they will also require an ECA report. When applying for a program, you can include your spouse’s ECA report to receive additional Comprehensive Ranking Scores.
Choosing the Ideal Organization for ECA
The IRCC only accepts ECAs from seven pre-approved organizations. There are organizations that only cater to those in the medical field (doctors and pharmacists). Simultaneously, other professionals can choose any of the other organizations for their ECA process. The organizations are as follows:
• University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies – Comparative Education Services
• Canada’s International Credential Assessment Service
• Global Education Services
• International Qualifications Evaluation Service
• International Credential Assessment Service
• Canadian Medical Council (Doctors only)
• Canadian Pharmacy Examining Board (Pharmacists only)
Your considerations in selecting the ideal organization may differ depending on how much time you have before submitting your ECA report. World Education Services has the quickest processing time and ensures that the process is completed as quickly as possible.
The application and regulations for obtaining the Educational Credential Assessment report are nearly identical for all organizations, and it begins with you creating an account on their official website. After providing the necessary data and documentation, you must wait until the specified time.
The time it takes different organizations to verify your credentials varies depending on how many experts they have and whether they do any other immigration or educational training or activity. Remember that COVID-19 has changed the processing times for each organization, and even the most efficient organization may take longer to respond than expected.
Pricing differs depending on the organization. You will discover that every company
Process of Getting an ECA Report for Canadian Immigration
When an ECA report was required, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) began designating organizations for individuals to use in 2013. When it comes to obtaining a report, there are several organizations from which to choose today.
You must ensure that when you apply for the ECA report, you select the report specifically for immigration purposes. There are various assessment reports, but only ECA reports issued for immigration purposes will be accepted by the IRCC.
Whatever organization you choose, they will require proper documentation from you, including transcripts and other documents directly from your school, as well as a copy of your degree/diploma/certificate for verification.
The evaluation process can take anywhere from a day to a week. Saving Money on Your ECA Report
Because obtaining the Educational Credential Assessment report is quite costly, there are specific methods you can use to make the costs more bearable on your wallet with success.
Choosing an ECA application for IRCC over the standard option saves you money. The majority of people do not require the standard report for immigration purposes.
Because of COVID-19, you will only need the PDF document of the ECA report to apply for your immigration process. Because you will not need the physical report documents for the immigration application process, use a standard courier service to obtain them.
It is more efficient and optimal to send only the PDF document to recipients and/or any other association. Sending a physical copy of your report won’t just be costly, it can be unnecessary in most situations. It’s best to get all your higher education evaluated at the same time to prevent additional charges in the future.
Do not request that your organization send the report directly to IRCC because they do not require original documents. This is due to the fact that organizations charge per application rather than per degree. It may also save you time in the long run, as each application takes at least a few weeks to process.
ECA Report for Canadian Immigration
Many ongoing Canadian immigration programs, such as Provincial Nominee Programs, regional immigration programs, and even federal programs within the Express Entry system, require an ECA report.
The Express Entry system is the quickest way to complete your Canadian immigration process. Not all students are eligible for this system, but if you want to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker program through Express Entry, you’ll need an ECA report.
If you’re applying for the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades program, having an ECA report can help you earn bonus points in the education category.
The Best Time to Get Your ECA Report
When applying for a variety of Canadian immigration programs, the Educational Credential Assessment remains one of the most important documents. It assists Canadian immigration officials in verifying your educational credentials and their equivalent.
In some cases, the report will be required when you begin your immigration process, while in others, the document may not be required at all, but providing it will be beneficial regardless.
You must have your ECA report ready before beginning the process for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and other specific provincial and federal programs.
There are numerous resources available to help you determine your Comprehensive Ranking Score or the educational equivalent of your current degree.
Get Your ECA Report to Make Your Canadian Move Successfully
Once completed, your Educational Credential Assessment is valid for five years. It means you should start the process of obtaining your report as soon as you decide to immigrate to Canada, without worrying about the report expiring soon.
If your immigration process has taken longer than expected, you can consider renewing the report, which is acceptable in some cases. Prepare thoroughly for your new life in Canada by having the ECA report ready for your immigration process at all times.
You won’t have any problems applying for a program that allows you to work in the country if you have your ECA. You must ensure that your school/college/educational institution is prepared.
Many educational institutions in other countries do not immediately award diplomas or degrees to graduates. For the Educational Credential Assessment, you can choose between a temporary or provincial degree.
Students and working professionals alike must plan and prepare their move to Canada while keeping ECA in mind. There may be many obstacles in your path to moving to Canada, but with the right analytics and information to back you up, any requirement to move to Canada will become simple.